Golf: Hopatcong's Parent-Funded Program Back in Full Swing

From an outsider's perspective, golf can only teach you one thing: patience. The best golfers on the planet, those who are paid a handsome sum of money to play professionally, even seem to lose their way on a golf course at times.

But lifelong golfer and 10th-year Hopatcong head coach Dominick Schiavone believes golf can teach you more.

"It’s a lot about social interactions, maturity,” Schiavone said. “When you’re out on the golf course, you have to act like an adult. There are not people breathing down your neck in the stands watching everything you do. Golfers aren’t supposed to lose their temper. You’re supposed to be mature in what you do and you’re supposed to act accordingly. The rules are really about how honest you can be. Golf is an easy sport to cheat when nobody is looking and it really judges the kind of character you have. I think it really builds character in kids.”

Thanks to a generous donation from the Elks' Club, the Hopatcong Chiefs' program is back and possibly stronger than ever.

“It’s great that the parents and the community could come together and really support what I think is a great cause,” Schiavone said. “They should be thanked for what they did.”

This season the Chiefs are welcoming in ten new freshmen to the program; the greatest infusion of participants in Schiavone's tenure.

The reason? Schiavone points to the perception of golf and how the attitude toward the sport has morphed in the last couple of decades in the minds of young athletes.

“I think golf has a different appeal to it than it used to,” Schiavone said. “It’s a lifelong game that they can play the rest of their lives. A lot of kids used to think golf was kind of stupid to play, but now, the game has changed that attitude. You can say what you want about him, and Tiger Woods isn’t always good press anymore, but he still keeps the game in the headlines.”

Overview

Despite losing senior stand out Nick Frato, the Chiefs look to rebound from a four-win season behind Shane Sickles, Chelsea Pruden, Colleen McNamara, and incoming freshmen. In total, Hopatcong has 10 new golfers in the program.

Last season's results

Hopatcong finished its season 4-15.

Keep your eye on

• Shane Sickles (Jr.) — After a rough start to his sophomore season, Sickles rebounded nicely in his second half. The junior, who narrowly missed qualifying for the state tournament last season, will be relied upon to lead a young Chiefs squad.
• Chelsea Pruden (Sr.) - After a promising freshman and sophomore year, Pruden missed nearly all of her junior campaign when she broke her foot and was unable to play the rest of the season. Hopatcong looks for her to be back at 100 percent this season.
• Colleen McNamara (Jr.) - McNamara played in every match for the Chiefs last season and shold take a more prominent role in her junior campaign.

They'll miss

• Nick Frato — Last season, Frato was the unquestioned leader of the Hopatcong golf team. Frato this season has moved on from Hopatcong and the sport, and now studies at The Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Coach's take

• "(Shane Sickles) has been my most valuable player the last two years. Hopefully he’s going to carry the team. I hope the kid makes it to states this year. In the 10 years, we’ve never had a kid qualify for states. Last year he was one away." — Schiavone.
• "This season will be interesting to see because I’ve got a lot of new people in golf. We’ve got a tremendous amount of freshmen so it’ll be interesting to see how they develop and to see how much they’ve played."— Schiavone.

They said it

• "I have a lot of confidence going into this season. Last year I started out a little shaky but I finished well. I’m thinking hopefully that I’ll make states this year." — Sickles
• "I hope we win a couple more matches than we did last year. We have a lot of young kids coming up. I think the golf program is going to be good for the next few years. We’ll try to give them advice when they need it and encourage them. I’m looking forward to seeing them more." — McNamara
• "I started in eighth grade. I watched golf once and I don’t know, I just started liking it. Then I got out on the course and started playing and I fell in love and knew I wanted to be really good at this someday. I’m going to keep on doing it even if I’m not on that level yet." — Tony Zang.

2011 Hopatcong Golf Roster

Troy Bongiovonni, Bryan Fallon, Alex Frato, Sawyer Guard, Brian King, Haley Kruger, Lacey Kruger, Cliff Lundin, Sammie Madar, Gab Mendez, Colleen McNamara, Pat McNamara, Carly Pruden, Chelsea Pruden, Matt Rivera, Matt Russo, Deanna Salimando, Shane Sickes, Tony Zang, John Yohanan.